Braking device for sleds



May 31, 1927.

' 1,630,970 H RUzlcKA A Y BRAKING DEVICE FOR SLEDS v A Filed Jan.2, 1925 Patented May 31, 1927.

HENRY RTTZI'GKALQ OF'N'EW YORK, Y.:

" Benzine envien Fon stains'.u

y Aiipnatioii eieii'anuary. 2, 1925. serial No. 5. f

invention relates to al braking ,or skid device for sleds `which vmaybe applied to a smallnsled'such `as isrusejd bychildren in coasting, or which maybe applied to a horse drawn lsled for use as a skid ,or brake inV goingdown hill, A, l p The, iii'ventioifi,haiil for ainlobject the'pi'on visionot a novel and simpl-e ,brake or skid device,.that will serve to quickly bring; the sled to a stop when applied to a sinall chi-lds sled, or which mayv serve an adequate brake or skid whenapfpliedto a largeisled 'f ForV further ycomprehension vof vthe invention, and of the obj ec-ts4 and ladva'tntages there o,'re-erence will be `had .to the following description and accompanying drawingland tothe appended claiinsinwliich thevarious novel. featuresA ofthe 'iifi-ventioncare more particular-ly` set forth@v i K y Fig. 1 of ,the drawing isa planview, with parts brokenaway, lshowing a, sljed having my improved brakingfdeiice applied thereto. Fig. 2,v i-s avlongitudinal` `sectional Vview taken on thexline 2&2 oAFigLll.- ,Figj is a transverse section-al view taken on the line 3--3o-Fig-1. l i A Fig 11 is a fragmentary transverse vsectional view taken ontgli-e line l-4c ,0f Fig. 2. .Fig. 5 is an enlarged ,i fraginentary'transvc f sectional view taken on' the saine line as g; 3. 't

Figi. G is a detail perspective view showing the means for mounting fthe braking chains.

Fig. Z is a fragmentany*longitudinalsectional view showing a slightly inoditied'construction..

.The sled to ,whichmy fi-nventi'onis hei-eap-v plied comprises a pai-r of runners 10 thatare ci? aihape in cross section tfo-jprese'nt upstandf Vii .langes 10 extending the length1 thereof,

ti we runners being curved upward-ly at the iron?? end at 11 to connect to the frontr vrrossbar' V12 of, the sled, being secured toY the latter 'bv boltslofnavhich' are wing nuts '13. Fixed to the runnersglO, at suitable points Valong);ther length' Of, the ll'ttely ordinary arched brackets 14thatsu-pport the top 'part, or platform,- of the sled. This top part comprises a pair of side bars land a central bar 1T, between which are located the boards or, iianels 1S, i These parts are attached at their front ends to the cross bar and at other points to the cross bars 19 iixed upon 'the brackets 14.

To provide Lfor the mounting of my improved brake device on the sled a metal strap chains Q5 elevatedy above the surY `2211s lifedfat its and extends,longitudinallypf 'the sled under the centraltop bar y17,' thishsjtrapbeing or curved adjacent itsufroiit endiiin parallelism with the front port-ions of vthe runners, as .seen in gside"y viewk,A andientends horizontally throughout" its inaiiilength lat a slight elevation abovetlietop's rogtlthe said runners, the strap curving upward at its rear end tok beattached to the underside of the Central bei 117, as'ahggdi :ne ,y e; 'in The skid or brakinginembers comprisea pair or endless chains,Qthatencircle the respective A runners and are attached `to .the slgedby being passed throughnot-ehes -251-into '1J-'Shared bl'aktsf 25? secured @by eine e@ on a transverse rod 26 forming the front and basev end of iav triaijigular `frame 4whose sides aregconstituted tliejoblitpie? LYtha-t are tixeldyatitheir rontends t'omth'e saidlro'd and incline rearwardly toward ,cned another.

The chains areheld in thenotcliesQljpbyf means .of cap-plates.such,as 25h-secured to Sadbvedsets 2571er Screws 125?- Urea-the rod 26 @th-ree rollers are mounted, consisting of: Centr-ally n@StiofrledY @116228 emitir@ enjdvirollers 29, these rollers beingl all flanged, the brackets 25 straddlingthe ends-.rollers 29. rEhe central roller 28 engagesthe under- Side 0f., the Streu 22, While the eHdf-l-Qlllnlare( adapted to lrun on "the Kflange ,elements 10 'of the runners/10 when the .braking de-Y vice Iis moving tOcper-ative position.v The oblijqiie frame members 27 are 'attached ,at

their rear ends to; the `ends o'lf aU -shapxefd sti; ap 39 that stra-ddles the strap L225 'trol-ing elow ,the latter,V and which have ,a roller 33 supported between ,their .upper ends and resting upon vthe saidstrapf, t ,n ,i

Normally the rod isr held in the posiI v on sli-own in {Fig/2 'oii the 'drawing-gf. wit the. y onw ich the lsled rests, lli'eing retained.1 in this positionlfiynneans ojfa latch iiigtlie torin,,oiiiaii angularflever 36 that pivotednt onejleii-d` L37 andhas its .other end proi-ecti-ng through aperture to and upon the Vstrap QQas 1 38 in the strap 22 and under` the `roll 298. To this lever la loop 39 yfsattached and extends upward and aroiindzthe usual steering bar 10. en the sled. l spring,{1,-1 may fixed to the strap 22- and urge the latch to operative position.

When the braking device is t0 be applied the loop 39 is pulled, releasing the latch 36 from under the roller 28, and the frame 26,

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27 and with it the chains 25, slides downwardly and rearwardly under the influence of gravity until the chains engage lunder the horizontal portions of the' runners, the rear-` ward movement of the braking element being limited by the rollers 29 striking the front ones of the brackets 14.

In the modification shown in Fig.V 7, the latch arm is provided with a handle 45 that proJects upward through the sledplatforni and vmay.` be engaged with an ordinary ratchet rack 46 Aon the latter to lock the `said carriage engagedwith the top portions vof the said upwardly curved runner ends.

y 2.' In combination with a sled having a pair of runners with upwardly curved front ends, a slidable carriage supported by the said upwardly curved front ends ofthe runners, braking 'elements depending from said carriage, and releasable means retaining the said carriage engaged with the top portions of the said upwardly curved runner ends,

Vsaid braking elements consisting of chains attached to the-said carriage and encircling the respective runners.

3.-In combination with the frame of a sled having a pair of runners with upwardly curved front ends, a strap secured to the said frame midways between the sides thereof, and extending longitudinally of the sled in parallelism with the said front ends of i fi the runners, a carriage comprising a triangular frame having a transverse rod elementatits front end, said rod having a roller mounted thereon midway between its ends and engaging the underside of said strap, and a pair of rollers on its ends engaging the top faces of the vsaid runners, endless chains attached freely to the said frame and surrounding the said runners, and a releasable latch normally engaging the central one of said rollers toretain the said carriage in position with the end rollers engaged with the top portions of the said upwardly curved runner ends. y

4. In combination with the frame o a sled having a lpair of runners with upwardly curved front ends, a strap secured to the said frame midways between the sides thereof, and extending longitudinally of the sled in parallelism with the said front ends of the runners, apcarriage comprising a .triangula-r frame having a transverse rod elementat its front end, said rod having a roller mounted thereon midway between its ends and engaging'the-underside of said strap, and a pair of rollers on its ends engaging the top faces of the said'runners, endless chains attached freely to said frame and surrounding the said runners, and a releasable latch normally engaging the central one of .said rollers to retainthe said carriage in position with the end rollers engagedwith the top portions of thc said upwardly curved runner ends, the remainder ofsaid carriage frame 'being constituted by a pair of obliquely inclined bars, a U-shaped strap to which the said bars are attached at their rear ends, said U-strap s'traddling the before mentioned ylongitudinal strap frointhe bottom upward, and a roller mounted in the sam 'EU-strap Yand resting upon the said longitudinal 'stra-p.'

5. In combination with a sled having a pair offrunnerswith upwardly curved front ence, a slidable carriage supported by the said upwardly curved front ends of the runners, braking elements depending from said carriage, and releasable means retaining the said carriage engaged with the top portions ofthe said upwardly curved rune ner ends, said means comprising a latch arm engaged with said carriage.

' 6. vIn combination with the framepof a sled -haviiiga pair of runners with upwardlycurved 'front ends, a strap secured to the said frame midways between the sides thereof, and extending longitudinally of the sled in parallelism with the said front ends of the runners, a carriage comprising a triangular frame having a transverse rod element at its front end, said rod having a roller mounted thereon midway between its ends and engaging the underside of said strap, and a, pair of rollers on its ends engaging the top faces of the said runners, and a releasable latch normally engaging the central one of said rollers to retain the said carriage in position with the end rollers engaged'with the top portions of the said upwardly7 curved runner ends, U-brackets straddling said rods and .end rollers and formed with notches in ltheir top sides, endless chains Vreceived in said notches and surrounding said runners.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

` HENRY RUZicKA. 

